If the world consumed resources and produced waste at the same rate the United States does, human civilization would need five Earths to keep up. This conclusion was reached by the international think tank Global Footprint Network, whose latest study revealed humankind is annually burning through the equivalent of nearly one-and-a-half Earths when it comes to resources. The group computes each country’s “ecological footprint” by measuring how much land and sea area it takes to produce the resources its citizens consume and to absorb its CO2 emissions. According to the Global Footprint Network, consumption has increased substantially in the last five decades, compared to 1961, when only about half of the planet’s biocapacity was being used.